Visit a UK Scrapyard of the 1960's

"Paradoxically, our waste is a  real part of our wealth".  -Michael Ingrams in "Look at Life: Down in the Dumps" 

Credit: ITV Studios Global Entertainment / YouTube

As the Fab Four flew around the world in jet planes making piles of cash performing in 1965, folks in their home country were generating piles of trash. Derelict cars were littering city streets in London and Birmingham. Old appliances were casually discarded throughout the countryside by those unwilling to pay to have it disposed of properly. Ordinances weren't really on the books to deal with abandoned property and improper waste disposal then. The modern auto recycling infrastructure was also lacking. What residents, merchants and concerned citizens eventually did was lobby their respective officials to clamp down on dumpers. They also invested heavily in larger auto scrap equipment that allowed them to get rid of the eyesores and clean up their neighborhoods. 

That's jolly good, but as you'll see in the following filmstrip, it doesn't make it easier to watch old iron reduced to a bundle of charred material. Frankly, that's too bad because we're going to see that in a few moments in the following film.

Credit: ITV Studios Global Entertainment / YouTube

Today's video is "Look at Life: Down in the Dumps", produced in 1965 by The Rank Organisation as part of of their weekly series of short films about British life. The series ran from 1959 to 1969, and a total of 500 episodes were put together. Today, they're restored and available on DVD, and on YouTube clips for everyone in the world to enjoy. Or cringe. 

Credit: ITV Studios Global Entertainment / YouTube

This week's video includes the following: 

1. Footage of classics being crushed "Odd Job" style in a compactor. 

2. An early 1950's Packard abandoned on the streets. 

3. Scrapyard workers dousing cars with solvent and setting them on fire. 

4. Mention of "Fly Tippers". 

5. References to "Rag and Bone Men". 

I now present our film of the week. Cheers! 

Look at Life (1965)

Let me know what you think of this video, and life in general with a quick email. Thanks for stopping by! 

-D